DataBase Project of the Day: The Carlaw

After a brief hiatus we're reviving the DataBase Project of the Day feature in order to highlight projects across Toronto and the GTA that have caught our interest and that of our readers. The projects range from small to large, planning to occupancy-ready, popular to not-so-popular; the feature is meant to spark conversation and get our readers checking out projects that may occasionally be pushed aside due to the constant influx of new developments we continue to experience in the GTA.

Today's Project of the Day is looking across the Don Valley, to Streetcar Development and Dundee Realty's The Carlaw condos, located at Dundas Street East and Carlaw Avenue. We first heard about the project early last summer, with the first renderings released at the end of August. The project continues to move forward, and is now in the process of sales.

Project rendering for The Carlaw, image courtesy of Streetcar Developments

Tact Architecture was retained to design a contemporary condominium that would reflect the neighborhood's industrial aesthetic. The final product employs large expanses of curtain wall glass juxtaposed with masonry brick. The curtain wall and brick components contain strong vertical elements, while the balconies appear to dominate both with their strong horizontal emphasis. Tact has experience designing contemporary buildings within historic contexts or with historic influence; their previous work includes 2 and 8 Gladstone, as well as Sync Lofts.

Townhouse renderings, image courtesy of Streetcar Developments

The location is outside the downtown core but offers a variety of neighborhood amenities, and is currently undergoing rapid gentrification – Leslieville is immediately south, while the Danforth is just north of the project. East Chinatown is centered on Broadview a few blocks west, and while not as large as the Spadina Chinatown, contains local fruit and vegetable shops as well as traditional restaurants and businesses.

Lobby rendering, image courtesy of Streetcar Developments

The Carlaw is one of a few projects to get into the neighborhood before what we expect to be large-scale redevelopment occurs amongst the industrial warehouses. Its proximity to downtown, access to two streetcar lines, and the redevelopment of the waterfront all make this a desirable location. For more information on the project, check the dataBase listing below, and see what forum members are saying on the associated project and real estate threads.